Going to the salon can either be a heavenly experience for you and your hair or a total disaster. We have all seen rants, reviews, and heard stories about the good, the bad, and the tragic. Putting your trust and literally your hair in the hands of another person is definitely a risk, but it shouldn’t deter you from treating yourself to a salon experience. Here are five tips that will definitely ensure that your salon experience is a positive one.
1. Decide on a Style Or Two
The worst thing you could do is give a stylist free reign only to be unhappy with the style they’ve created. Try to have an idea or two of what style you’re creating. The Internet is the best resource for finding photos of styles you like. Instagram, Pinterest, and Google Images are all great online places to roam. Having multiple photos of each style at different angles is important. Even if the style isn’t exactly what you want whether it’s hair color, the size of cornrows, the parting design those changes could always be communicated to your potential stylist at a later point.
2. Do Your Research on Salons and Stylist
Now that you have an idea of what styles you may want in your hair it’s time to hunt for a salon or a stylist. Three great places to start with your hunt are on styleseat.com, social media, and you guessed it, Google. Styleseat.com is a one stop shop for locating hair stylists, hair braiders, barbers, and nail technicians in your area. You can see what the stylist or salon looks like, the services they offer (and even more important the price), and also see the recommendations previous clients have made. Google is life for everything. Simply search for salons near your location. Once you find a few, search their social media. Salons and beauty service providers usually share their creations on at least one social media platform, the most popular being Instagram.
3. Invest in a Consultation
The standard of a good beauty service provider is to offer a consultation service before the actual date of the main service. The consultation may not always be free because, make no mistake, time is money. However the extra money is well worth it. Here’s a run down of what should occur during the consultation.
- Clearly communicate the style you’re going for. Share the photos of the styles you’re considering with the stylist to give him or her a clear vision of what you’re talking about.
- The stylist should assess the current condition of your hair and point out any areas of concern (scalp conditions, thinning, breakage, etc.). Your stylist may suggest a different style or a spin on the style you’re going for if he/she feels the style will be a detriment to your hair health. For example, cornrows starting at your hairline may not be best if your edges are thinning out or almost non existent.
- Hair prep talk should definitely be a main topic. Each stylist is different. Some prefer to do all the prep work (washing, conditioning,etc.) before creating the style (this may also require additional money for the extra services). Some prefer that your hair is washed and ready to go for the styling process.
- This is also a good time to establish what the costs are for all services so there are no financial surprises at the end.
4. Communicate with Your Stylist
There are certain things your stylist may not know unless you tell them, such as having a tender scalp. If there are any products or ingredients in hair care products that you are allergic to or your hair reacts poorly to, make that clear so he/she can exclude those products from the service. If your goal is to retain length and you’ve already had a recent trim, share that with your stylist.
5. Try to Relax
You did your research, you checked reviews on your stylist, you did your consultation, and you’re heading in for your appointment. Let go of the ghosts of bad salon experiences past. All that’s left to do is sit back, relax, and enjoy the salon experience.
Having a plan and following tips like these are a great way to ensure that you leave the salon with healthy hair in a fresh style and positive things to say about the entire experience.
Share your salon experiences in the comments below.
